


Likes

by ublfo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Depression, High School AU, Keith angst, M/M, Trans!pidge, bi!lance, broganes, gay!keith, klance, mtf!Pidge, trans!Katie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-06 06:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11594823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ublfo/pseuds/ublfo
Summary: Keith is having a hard time getting through high school. He has a problem with authority, he's constantly being compared to his brother, he doesn't have any friends, and the boy he likes is mean to him. But those aren't real problems, right? He should be focused on more important things...right? All Keith knows is that he's the definition of a loser, and it shows from his social life to his bedroom decor to his Instagram account.





	1. Chapter 1

Keith was trying not to stare at the boy in the water, honestly.

 

This section of the beach was mostly empty as it was almost completely hidden by trees and large boulders. Keith was sitting cross-legged atop one of the lowest boulders, a canopy of leaves shielding him from the afternoon sun, trying to read. The conditions  _ would  _ have been perfect; the air was warm and breezy, there were no mosquitoes, there was hardly any noise apart from the occasional chirp of a bird or rustling of a squirrel in the bushes, and it was early enough in the school year that he didn’t have a pile of homework to worry about. It  _ should  _ have been a perfect Saturday. But then... _ he _ showed up.

 

Keith couldn’t remember his name for the life of him, but he was splashing in the late summer waves with Hunk Garett. Hunk was in Keith’s English class, and they’d known each other since middle school, but the other boy was new. And he was  _ cute _ . His thick, chestnut coloured hair had a slight curl to it, and his eyes had a twinkle that never went out. He would strut the halls with a bounce in his step, his brown skin looked soft and well taken care of, and his smile, oh, his smile...it shone like the sun, and was never gone for long. He'd never been one for crushing, but he might’ve paid this boy a little more attention than usual, had it not been for his apparent predisposed disliking to Keith.

 

He didn’t understand why, but the boy in blue swim trunks scowled at Keith more than he smiled. They only had one class together (personal fitness), but in the two weeks since school had started, he’d expressed his bitter feelings all too clearly. He was always on a mission to outdo Keith, and while he made sarcastic quips about all of his classmates, the ones directed toward him seemed more abundant and harsh. Usually this wouldn’t have upset Keith, but it was coming from someone who’d only known him for three days tops before making that judgement. Lots of people thought Keith was a loser and he didn’t care. But this guy was kind of being an asshole about it.

 

Keith heard a yelp and looked up from his book. Hunk had splashed the cute boy, and apparently the water was cold. That wasn’t surprising, it being almost halfway through September. Keith felt his stomach leap when the boy started laughing. He barely even noticed that Hunk had been shoved into the water, he was just so wrapped up in that golden voice.

 

After about five minutes of staring without even trying to look back down at his book, Keith decided it was time to pack up and go home. Reading was impossible when a sea nymph was tantalizingly near. He shoved his book in his shoulder bag, wrapped his flannel around his waist, adjusted the red beanie on his head, and walked across the beach. This would put him in a position where the two other boys would definitely see him, but it was the only way to get home. Besides, it’s not like they would talk to him or anything.

 

“Hey, Keith!” Oh, great. “I didn’t see you there!”

 

Keith waved in response to Hunk’s call from the water and quickly turned away, but that beautiful voice stopped him in his tracks. “Care to join us, mullet?”

 

Keith instinctively bit his thumbnail. “I don’t have my trunks…” he mumbled.

 

“What?” yelled the other boy. Keith was about to repeat himself when the two boys started running towards the shore.

 

_ “Oh no, oh no, he’s getting closer…”  _ he thought. “ _ Keith, you gay fuck, DON’T stare at his chest...or his stomach...or his hips...man, he’s toned...SHIT! STOP IT KEITH STOP IT KEITH STOP IT KE-” _

 

“What was your lame excuse?” The boy was only a few inches taller than Keith, but it was enough for him to feel intimidated. His smirk was making him weak; all he wanted was to get out of there.

 

“I, uh...I don’t have my trunks,” he stuttered.

 

“What idiot doesn’t come to the beach without his trunks?” the boy scoffed, casually stretching his arms behind his head.

 

Keith looked down. “I didn’t come to swim!” he snapped. “I just…” he shrugged and looked around. “I like the beach.”

 

The boy’s expression softened briefly, before a flash of confusion, a pang of anger, and finally a look of apathy. “Whatever. More beach for us. Have fun in your little hobbit hole or whatever, nerd.”

 

Keith felt his heart drop, but he just scowled, turned, and walked away. “You said ‘whatever’ twice, you ditz!” he called over his shoulder. He tuned out whatever protest spluttered out of the boy’s mouth.

 

“I’ll see you on Monday, Keith!” Hunk said. Keith didn’t respond.


	2. Chapter 2

Keith was in a sour mood when he got home. His dad was cooking dinner and his brother, Shiro, was playing Mario Kart. He denied the offer to join the game and stalked off to his room. He took care not to slam his door, as he knew that would upset his father, but reserved nothing as he hurled his bag across the room. It landed on a pile of dirty laundry next to his desk, softening the would-be-satisfying thud, which caused him even more frustration. He leaned against his door and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths.

 

_ "Why am I even frustrated? Who cares what some dumb kid who transferred to my school and is buddies with Hunk Garett and shouts stupid memes during gym class and has all the girls flustered in TWO WEEKS says or thinks about me?" _ He ripped off his beanie and threw it alongside his bag. On the inside, Keith knew it wasn’t just about the new kid, but he didn’t want to admit it. Instead, he sat on his bed, popped in his earbuds, and squeezed his pillow as a menagerie of My Chemical Romance, The Killers, The Cure, and Nirvana songs flooded his ears from a playlist titled “emo af.” He tried not to take his angsty teenager feelings too seriously, but sometimes the bleak music just helped him breathe easy.

 

Not long after he’d calmed down, Shiro texted him to tell him that dinner was ready. Keith bounded down the stairs, starving suddenly. He greeted his dad and his brother before serving himself a heaping portion of the baked mac and cheese that he’d adored since childhood. Bread crumbs and bacon adorned the mess of multiple cheeses and macaroni, all topped off with dad’s secret hot sauce.

 

They ate mostly in silence. While the three were a tightly knit family, they weren’t very keen on small talk, and they all liked it that way. Why talk if you have nothing to say?

 

After seconds and even thirds, Keith cleared the table and started the dishes. Shiro chatted with their dad for a bit before joining his little brother in the kitchen and helping rinse and dry.

 

“You do much today?” he asked.

 

“Nah,” replied Keith, “I slept in and watched TV and read and stuff. I went to the beach for a little bit and saw some guys from school.”

 

Shiro paused. “Cool guys? Did you hang out with them?”

 

“They’re...alright, but I just said hi as I was leaving.”

 

“Ah…” nodded Shiro. Keith pretended not to pick up on the disappointment in his brother’s voice. He knew Shiro wanted Keith to have more friends and go out more and be more social like him, it just wasn’t Keith’s strong suit.

 

While Keith was more of a loner who kept to himself, Shiro was one of the most popular seniors at their high school. He excelled in his studies, was the captain of the football team and the assistant coach for track and field, and was a budding musician. While guitar started off as nothing more than a hobby for him, it quickly became yet another mind blowing skill that could very well send him through college on a scholarship. That was just how Shiro was; a hard working, dedicated person who could charm just about anyone. He wasn’t one of those fake, shallow popular guys, though. He had lots of friends and genuinely liked and cared about each and every one of them. Keith wished he had what Shiro had more than anything in the world, but it seemed like that sort of life just wasn’t meant for him.

 

Eventually, Keith broke the now awkward silence. “What about you? What’d you get up to?”

 

“Not a lot either,” said Shiro, stacking plates in the cupboard. “I hit the gym before heading to work, and then after my shift I met up with Matt and Allura and hung out at the mall with them.”

 

Keith nodded. Having finished all the washing, he leaned against the countertop and folded his arms. “Was the mall busy?”

 

“A bit,” said Shiro. “It wasn’t too busy at work, but there was enough traffic that I wasn’t bored out of my mind.” Shiro worked at Starbucks in the mall food court. “Then later it got a little busier and Allura and Matt and I ran into some people from school. We all kinda mingled, but mostly it was just us.”

 

Keith nodded again. He couldn’t imagine considering all that “not much,” even for a Saturday. Although Matt and Allura were some of Shiro’s closest friends, after working out and serving drinks for hours before that...it just seemed like a lot to him.

 

“Hey, Keith-!” called his dad from the living room.

 

“Coming!” he responded, turning on his heel and running out of the kitchen, leaving Shiro to finish up with the dishes.

 

“Woah there, hotshot!” laughed Mr. Kogane at his son’s entrance. Keith had nearly tumbled over the couch his father was sitting on, which wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. “I was just wondering if you have homework?”

 

“I had a little, but I finished it last night,” Keith replied truthfully. Even though he usually left things to the last minute, boredom had gotten the best of him. Plus, it wasn’t a crippling amount of work. Yet.

 

“‘Atta boy,” grinned his dad, ruffling his hair. “You got any plans tomorrow?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“How’s about swingin ‘round the shop with me in the morning?” Mr. Kogane worked at a garage less than a ten minute walk from their house. He looked like he was trying to hide excitement from Keith.

 

“Sure. What time?”

 

“I’m leaving just before 8:00.” He couldn’t suppress a huge smile any longer, which in turn made Keith smile.

 

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll be ready.” He kissed the top of his father’s head and made his way back up to his room. He wondered what his father was trying to hide, but assumed he’d find out tomorrow. Keith didn’t want to spoil his dad’s excitement.

 

Once upstairs, he flopped onto his bed, sending his long, black hair flying. Keith pulled out his phone and was surprised to see a notification from Instagram:

 

lancel0tdulac started following you.

 

_ “That’s weird…” _ thought Keith.  _ “It’’s probably just a bot. Or one of those dumb spam accounts. Who would bother to look me up and then fo-” _

 

Upon clicking the notification, he realized there must have been a mistake. “ _ He was probably creeping and then accidentally hit follow. Or maybe Hunk made him do it? He seems like that kind of guy…” _ Keith didn’t believe that the boy from the beach would willingly follow him on Instagram.  _ “Lance...that’s his name…” _

 

He started going through Lance’s pictures. Most recently was a goofy selfie from the beach with Hunk -  _ “What!? 327 likes? That’s ridiculous!” _ The only person Keith had ever seen with that many likes on a photo was Shiro. He’d known Lance was popular, but...damn.

 

There wasn’t exactly a theme, but Lance wore and posted a lot of blue. Actually, he just posted a lot in general. Selfie with a flower crown snapchat filter: 294 likes. Picture of a sunset on the beach: 311 likes. Picture of presumably Lance’s cat: 286 likes. Selfie with two little kids who looked like him: 287 likes. Keith went on and on until one photo caught his eye.

 

Posted nine days prior, it was a picture of Lance on a boat with a huge amount of people. There was a toddler in a pink dress in his arms and kissing him on the cheek, and many more young children in front of him. A few middle school-aged kids and teenagers were posed awkwardly on either side of him, and adults ranging from college age to retired-since-the-90s stood behind him, some of whom were carrying even more children. Out of the countless shared features amongst this group of people, one stood out the most:  _ everyone _ was smiling, even the uncomfortable preteens. And while Lance looked a bit younger than Keith knew him to be, his smile was just as gorgeous. He read the caption:

 

"I’ve been missing a lot of things lately. My foreign cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, and uncles, my old school, my old friends, that one person...but what I miss most right now is Cuba. So  #tbt to my trip two summers ago with that crazy boat party reunion! I didn’t tag everyone bc there’s so fuckin many of you… #latinoprobs #goodmemories"

 

Keith smiled. This was the Lance he wished he knew, but instead he was stuck with a Lance that knew  _ him _ . He wondered whether he should follow him back or not. If it was a mistake, he didn’t want to seem over enthusiastic or anything, but if it wasn’t a mistake, he didn’t want to seem rude. He decided to follow back and message him.

 

\- Hey.

\- Did you follow be by accident?

 

Fifteen minutes later, a response came:

 

\- no?? im not stupid

 

Keith rolled his eyes; while relieved, he was also annoyed. Why did Lance just assume that Keith thought he was stupid?  _ Some _ people aren’t total dicks.

 

\- Okay...I was just wondering.

 

Lance’s next response came much quicker.

 

\- whatever

 

“Whatever,” indeed. Keith paid no more attention to the boy in blue’s Instagram. Instead, he crossed his bedroom and picked up the bag he’d thrown on the floor before dinner. He pulled his book out and thrust the nearly empty canvas shoulder bag back atop the pile of laundry and laid down on his bed. Although it was his favourite book, Keith had trouble concentrating. His thoughts kept wandering; he was adoring Lance, mad at Lance, mad at himself, mad at the world...et cetera.

 

Anger would be the death of him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> surprise mini-update Tarantino style

Keith looks up from his book and notices someone get on the bus. Amongst the throng of acquaintances and old classmates is someone he doesn’t recognize, someone rather alluring. He watches discreetly as this new person grins and sits next to Hunk, talking animatedly and making the softer boy laugh. They act like old friends, but Keith is positive he’s never seen him before in his life. He looks down when Hunk turns in his general direction, but sees that he’s only introducing the new boy to Matt and Katie Holt, who are seated directly behind them. The new boy seems to make quite an impression, and the formerly nervous and jittery Katie relaxes visibly and talks with the other three. The new boy glances at Keith every so often, but Keith avoids getting caught with ease. He watches until they arrive at school, even shortly after they arrive, but eventually pries his gaze away and focuses on getting to his first class: personal fitness.

* * *

Keith is changed and ready for gym. He has the same teacher as freshman year and recognizes everyone in the room so far. He sits cross-legged against a wall and chews on his thumb nail, waiting for class to start. He wonders if he’ll still hold the swim team’s record for 500 freestyle by the end of the year. With only one minute remaining before the bell, one last person waltzes through the door: the new kid. Keith’s breath hitches in his throat. He watches the kid walk around and introduce himself, cracking jokes and generally impressing people. Keith makes an impulsive decision.

He gets up and walks toward the boy, ignoring the knot in his stomach. “ _Don’t think about it…_ ” he thinks to himself. “ _If you think, you’ll chicken out…_ ”

“H-Hi…” he says to the boy with a sheepish smile. He clears his throat and says, slightly more confidently, “I’m Keith.” He extends a hand for the other boy to shake.

The other boy looks Keith up and down, hands on his hips. Is Keith imagining it, or is he sneering…? “Keith Kogane?” he asks, his voice drenched in disdain. Keith nods, suddenly very self conscious. “You’re the one with the record for 500 freestyle.” Keith bites his lip and the boy takes a step towards him. “Well, I’m Lance McClain.” He jabs a finger into Keith’s chest, “I’m gonna rip that record right out from your pasty fingers.” Keith swallows hard and looks at his shoes. Lance smirks and crosses his arms. “Should be easy, considering all the drag that awful haircut must create.”

The bell rings.

“ _This is why I don’t try to make friends._ ”


	4. Chapter 4

“Keith…Keeeeeith...KEITH!”

 

Keith bolted upright, sending his book tumbling off the bed and nearly headbutting his brother in the nose.  “What!?” Keith rubbed his eyes and saw Shiro bent over him. “What time is it? What planet am I on?” He yawned. “What year is it?”

 

Shiro chuckled, standing upright and checking his watch. “It is 6:13 am and I’m pretty sure we’re on planet earth. Could be wrong, though. You fell asleep after dinner and we couldn’t wake you up for the life of us. Slept right through the night.” 

 

Keith sighed.  _ “There I go oversleeping again.” _ Shiro turned to open the faded black curtains and light streamed through Keith’s dusty, decrepit old room. Taking a closer look at his brother, he noticed he was fully dressed in sweatpants, a tank top, and running shoes. An armband with a pocket specifically for a smart phone adorned his right arm. “What’s with the getup?”

 

Shiro turned almost immediately from his usual, confidently charming self to sheepish and concerned. He shoved his hands in his pockets.  “I, uh...I was wondering if you wanted to go for an early morning jog.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Kinda like we used to when you were in middle school.”

 

Keith bit his lip. Middle school Keith was a different person than sophomore Keith. Middle school Keith had goals and priorities;  _ he _ would jog with his brother and swim for four hours everyday. Right then, sophomore Keith just wanted to bury himself under the covers and sleep for another decade.

 

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and picked up his book, placing it neatly on the bedside table. He felt Shiro watching him expectantly. “I think…um…” He sighed again and looked out the window, running a hand through his messy hair. It was looking to be a gorgeous day, especially for autumn. One thing sophomore Keith  _ didn’t _ want to do was disappoint his big brother. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready to go.” Shiro tried to suppress a smile as he walked out of the room, but Keith noticed nonetheless. He then remembered the plans with his dad. “And I have to be back by 7:30 at the latest!” Keith called after him.

 

“No worries, bro!” Despite the stoicism, Keith could tell Shiro was excited.

 

* * *

 

Keith sipped contently on the second half of a smoothie as he walked to work with his dad. He felt  _ good _ \- better than he had in a long time. He was relaxed, fed, showered, and ready to get greasy all over again working on motorcycles and trucks with his dad.

 

“You have a good time with your brother?” asked Mr. Kogane with a smile.

 

“Oh yeah,” Keith enthused. “It was  _ really _ hard for me to get going, ‘cuz I haven’t jogged in, like, a million years, but Shiro paced himself for me and I got back into the swing of it. We went on the trail that goes by the beach and it was super cool because no one was there. And the big beach is usually, like,  _ totally _ packed. But it was nice. And then Shiro bought me a smoothie! And we talked a little at the cafe but I was like, ‘Dude, I gotta get outta here, I feel SO GROSS!’ ‘Cuz I’m so not used to sweating like that anymore! So then I came home and ate and showered and stuff and now I’m here!”

 

Keith’s dad was grinning during all of Keith’s ramble. It wasn’t often that he saw his son happy enough to chatter like that. The previous day, including Lance,  was all but forgotten as Keith thought about what awaited him in the shop. He wondered who was working, what they’d be doing, whether or not any bikes were in.

 

Motorcycles had been a passion of Keith’s ever since he was a baby. With his dad’s help, he could take an engine apart by age eight, and knew how to drive one at age twelve (even though that was technically illegal.) Everything he knew, he learned from his dad; take any bike in any condition to the Koganes and you’d drive off in three days or less on one that was  _ better _ than new.

 

Soon enough, they turned the corner and made their way into the shop. Mr. Kogane punched himself in while Keith said hi to the two men who were nursing paper cups of coffee at the workbenches before starting their day’s work. Keith knew all the mechanics from his short-lived career at the shop. He’d been fired after only three weeks, having been caught taking a client’s car for a spin. Almost everyone took a liking him after pulling that stunt (and many more that the higher ups didn’t know about), but their manager had quickly grown to despise Kogane Jr.

 

“Is bossman in the office?” asked Keith, jerking his head toward the door at the back of the shop.

 

“Nah,” answered Rolo, a sharp twenty-something who’d been working there as long as he’d been out of high school, “ever since you were fired, he’s stopped showing up before noon.  _ We’re _ trustworthy.” Keith grinned as Rolo punched him on the shoulder.

 

“Come on,” he whined, “That Mustang was  _ begging _ me to take it out.”

 

Rolo laughed, “Oh yeah? And I guess the Chevy was too? AND the Harley-Davidson?”

 

“ _ Especially _ the Harley-Davidson.” Keith began to wander around the shop, looking at all the cars in various states of undoing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his dad, Rolo, and the other man slowly gathering towards the far right of the room. He pretended not to notice them or the large, white (or as white as it could be in an auto shop) sheet that was covering something of suspicious size and shape.

 

Keith’s dad cleared his throat. He motioned for Keith to join them on the other side of the room, and he obeyed. “Son...I didn’t ask you to come with me today for you to fix up cars.” Keith raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, chewing on his straw. The smoothie had long since disappeared. “Well, I...I’ve thought a lot this, and, uh...I figure...well, I think you’ve earned it. You deserve it, anyway.” Rolo scoffed at that, but everyone pretended not to hear it. “Well, um. Without further ado…” Keith's dad yanked the sheet away.

 

There was a hollow clatter as the plastic smoothie cup fell to the ground. A smile crept onto Mr. Kogane’s face as Keith stood in stunned silence.

 

Before him was a red 1988 Yamaha VMax in seemingly perfect condition. This was the motorcycle Keith had dreamed of having since he was a little kid. He took a step towards it, but didn’t dare touch it. Not yet.

 

He barely heard his father talking about how he’d acquired it, fixed it, and gotten the paint job done by a friend of his. Keith was too shocked to process anything, he just nodded and stared, unsure if he was dreaming.

 

“...and Shiro and I aren’t gonna touch it. It’s all yours.” Keith finally snapped out of his trance and turned to his father.

 

“Are you fucking with me?” he asked incredulously. Rolo didn't even try to suppress his laughter.

 

“Keith!” exclaimed Mr. Kogane, shaking his head but grinning at the same time. “No. I’m not fucking with you."

 

Keith beamed and bolted into his dad. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around Keith, hugging him tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…”

 

Without letting go of his son, Mr. Kogane fished around in his pocket. When Keith finally let go, his dad was holding out the keys with a smirk. Keith was still beaming uncontrollably, just staring at the keyring jangling from his dad’s forefinger. Hanging from it, other than the key, was a small rubber lioness.

  
Finally, Keith took the key chain and straddled the -  _ his _ \- bike. Glad he was already decked out in a thin leather jacket and fingerless gloves, he started the engine and grinned excitedly at his father. Rolo handed him a brand new red helmet with a wink. The engine roared and Keith was flying out of there.

 

It was shaping up to be a good day.


	5. Chapter 5

The damp morning air stung Keith’s face as he whipped around the corner of South Street. It was his dream come true; he had a bike with a full tank of gas on a Sunday morning and absolutely nowhere to be and no one to answer to. Except maybe the cops, if they caught him going 70 miles an hour in a 30 zone, but really, Keith didn’t care.

 

The bike felt natural under him; like an extension of his being rather than a machine he had to control. He maneuvered the winding roads with ease, zipping around faster than he ever had before. For the first time in years, Keith’s mind was clear. He felt... _ free. _

 

Too quickly, he pulled up to the beach. While his impulse was to bring the bike to a screeching halt, he didn’t want his first voyage to end in a hospital trip and the wrecking of his vehicle, so he slowed the bike to a stop. Keith lifted his visor and squinted in the early morning sunlight. The river’s water was tranquil, the currents free of any disruption. Keith took a deep breath.

 

Then he nearly fell off his motorcycle as a huge splash sounded. A lean figure popped out of the water, smoothed their short hair back, and wiped water from their face.  __ “Oh my god, is that-?”  
  


Keith sped away the second he realized that it was Lance McClain in the water. That was  _ not _ something he wanted to deal with right now.  _ “Why is he out so early? And  _ swimming? _ The water must be cold as shit. I hope he doesn’t get fuckin pneumonia or something...I-I mean... That dumbass is gonna get fuckin pneumonia or something. Something like an ear infection, or...gah! Why do I even care? I just got a motorcycle and I’m thinking about Lance McClain, for fuck’s sake.” _

__

Before he knew it, Keith was back at his house. He parked next to the black pickup truck in the driveway and laid on the horn, staring at Shiro’s bedroom window. When he finally appeared, he was wearing nothing but a towel. Shiro beamed down at his little brother and motioned for Keith to give him five minutes. Keith folded his arms.

__

Thirty seconds later, a fully dressed, wet-haired Shiro thrust open the front door and bounded toward Keith. “What the hell, Keith!” he yelled, walking a full circle around the bike.

__

“Yamaha VMax,” Keith shrugged, feigning disinterest. “Dad got it for me.”

__

“No way…” Shiro giggled. He pulled out his phone and aimed for a picture. “Take your helmet off, dude!”

__

“Aw, come on, Shiro…” whined Keith. “I’d rather leave it on.”

__

“Fine.” He snapped a few pictures and Keith did his best to strike a triumphant pose. Shiro grinned at his phone.

__

“Could you send those to me?” Keith asked. Shiro nodded. “If you go into my room, I have my old helmet in my closet. It should fit you. Grab that and a jacket and I’ll take you for a ride.”

__

Shiro complied, and minutes later he was behind Keith on the passenger seat, gripping his brother’s shoulders. Knowing the more responsible big brother would yell at him for speeding, Keith obeyed the limit as they whipped around the block. Soon they were back in the auto shop.

__

It had been twenty minutes since Keith had left, and the team was already hard at work. Mr. Kogane looked up and grinned at his boys, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. “How’s it run?” he asked, gesturing to the bike.

__

“Smooth as butter,” replied Keith. “It’s seriously in perfect condition.” He hugged his dad again. “Thank you. I can’t believe you would-”

__

“Anything for my boy,” he replied, ruffling Keith’s hair.

__

“It’s so fricken cool!” yelled Shiro, struggling to get his helmet off. Keith had to point and laugh before helping, otherwise what kind of little brother would he be? “That was wild. Keith, you gotta watch that speedometer a little more carefully.”

__

Keith made a “blah, blah, blah,” motion with his hand and Shiro punched him on the shoulder. “Ow!” Keith complained, reeling back for a retaliation swing.

__

“Alright, alright, knock it off!” laughed Mr. Kogane. “Shiro, I thought you had work?”

__

“Yeah, but not until 9:00.” Shiro replied. “It’s Sunday.” He turned to Keith. “Wanna give me a ride to work on that sickass bike?”

__

“Sure,” said Keith.

__

* * *

__

An hour later, Keith was in the food court staring intensely at a paper cup filled to the brim with black coffee when a familiar voice broke his concentration.

__

“The fuck are you doing, Babadook?” Katie Holt took the seat across from Keith at his table in the food court.

__

“I figure this coffee will spill the secrets of the universe if I stare at it long enough.” he replied without looking up. “Also, stop calling me Babadook.”

__

“But it’s  _ funny _ ,” she insisted. Finally looking up, Keith noticed that, aside from her matching cup of coffee, she had an armful of card decks and graphic novels. She must’ve come from the comic shop.

__

Keith had known Katie as long as he could remember. Her brother, Matt, was best friends with Shiro, and they lived only a block away from the Koganes. She was a year younger than Keith, and although they got along well, they rarely hung out outside of their brothers’ company.

__

Katie stared Keith in the eye and took a swig of her coffee, as if challenging him. Keith downed his like a shot of whiskey as she watched in horror. When she attempted to do the same, she choked, sputtering coffee all over the floor, at which they both started laughing hysterically.

__

In the middle of their laughing fits, Keith got a message from Shiro. It was the pictures from that morning. “Wanna see my motorcycle?” he asked Katie.

__

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Dude! You got a  _ motorcycle?? _ ” Keith smirked and showed her the pictures. “That’s so cool.”

__

“I know,” he said, a little too confidently. “I’ll be picking up chicks in no time.”

__

Katie laughed. “Not that you’re interested.” Keith grinned halfheartedly, but sighed shortly thereafter. “Oh no,” said Katie. “Boy problems? Is that what the coffee thing was about?”

__

Keith held his head in his hands. “I just can’t get him out of my head! One minute I’ll be really happy, just minding my own business, and then POOF! He’s either there in real life or there occupying valuable brainspace.”

__

“And we know that’s limited when it comes to your head.” Keith grinned at Katie’s remark. “So is it someone I know?” she asked tentatively. Keith hesitated. “Someone I don’t know?

__

“No, you know him,” Keith replied. “That’s just what I’m afraid of.”

__

Katie nodded thoughtfully. “Well...I mean...you could just talk to him. ‘Hey, I like you. I’m gonna need to know if that’s requited so I can stop obsessing over you. Aight? Aight. Good talk.’”

__

Keith smiled, half amused, half wistful. “I wish it were that easy.”

__

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

__

“‘Cuz I’m pretty sure he hates me.”

__

“...oh.” They sat in silence for a moment before Katie piped up again. “Well, I gotta get these bad boys home,” she said, gathering up her boxes and comics.

__

“If you have a bag for those I could give you a ride,” offered Keith, but she shook her head.

__

“Matt’s waiting for me at Starbucks." Starbucks was separated from the food court by the mall's second floor (Starbucks being immediately below the food court), but anywhere upstairs had much cheaper coffee. And, in Keith's opinion, much better coffee. "I’ll see you at school tomorrow," said Katie as she pointed a finger gun with her free hand and sauntered off, leaving Keith to his own thoughts and devices.

__

After a moment, Keith pulled out his phone and saved the pictures of him on his motorcycle. He opened Instagram and scrolled for a minute, unsure of whether he would bother to post them. It seemed...braggy to him. Then he realized,  _ “My dad just got me a fucking motorcycle. I’m allowed to brag.” _

__

He looked at the three photos and decided the second would crop the best. Every single time Keith posted a photo (which was maybe once a month), he went through every single filter available, and every single time he figured he wouldn’t bother using one.  _ “Not this time, anyway.” _ Then came the hard part: a caption. After three or four tries, he finally got one that seemed okay.

__

“Been dreaming of an ‘88 VMax since I was ten years old. Thanks pops :P”

__

After another five minutes of contemplation, he finally posted it. He went through his other posts; he averaged around 5 likes a picture, and the only person who consistently liked his posts was Shiro. He wasn’t sure why, but for the first time in his life, that actually made him feel kind of dejected.

__

Lance popped into his head for the billionth time that morning as he thought of  _ his _ Instagram posts, with hundreds of likes per picture and probably even more followers. Keith looked at his follower count: 23.

__

He sighed and shoved his phone in his pocket. He crushed the paper coffee cup in his fist and stalked over to the garbage cans, dropping the wad of paper in on his way to the parking lot.


	6. Chapter 6

It was 12:49. After riding around aimlessly on his new motorcycle, Keith decided that nothing would distract him from thoughts of Lance and headed home. He’d told himself that he was avoiding the beach for fear of encountering McClain, and yet somehow wound up there four times.

 

After heading back to his house, he lazed around in a zombie-like state. He didn’t understand what was wrong; he’d had an  _amazing_ morning, now he just felt...numb. Like he wanted to do something, but he couldn’t think of anything worth doing. Like he’d explode if he didn’t find a way to expend his energy, but lacked the motivation to actually expend it.

 

He was sat on his couch watching The X-Files on Netflix. He’d already seen every episode at least twice, but at least that meant he didn’t have to think about it. Keith almost didn’t look down when his phone started buzzing. Not because he didn’t hear it, but because he didn’t care. He was glad that he did look down, though.

 

lancel0tdulac liked your photo

lancel0tdulac left a comment on your photo: sick wheelz bruh

lancel0tdulac sent you a message

 

Keith’s face twisted in a mess of confusion, disgust, and...giddiness. He opened the message.

 

\- yoooo did you actually get a motorcycle?? that’s fucking rad dude did your parents give it to you are you fuckin loaded or is it your birthday or what

 

Keith couldn’t help but grin a little. He read the message in Lance’s voice; he could hear the excitement and the way he rambled from question to question. It confused him though; this was how Lance would talk to Hunk or Matt. He’d never heard that voice directed at him before. He longed to hear it for real.

 

\- No, we’re not loaded. Idk man my dad said he’s been working on it for months and finally finished it.

 

Lance responded in seconds.

 

\- that’s wild. u just got like,,,ten times cooler

 

Keith chuckled.

 

\- Oh yeah? According to whom?

 

Lance:

 

\- the king himself. aka me

 

Keith scoffed.

 

\- Riiiiight…

 

When Lance didn’t respond for a full two minutes, Keith put his phone down and turned his attention back to the TV. Without Lance to distract him, though, the restlessness returned. It felt like a scream welling up in his throat, trying - no,  _begging_ \- to be released. Finally, he couldn’t bear it any longer, he just had to do  _something._ He ran upstairs, threw on his swimsuit, and grabbed his beach bag. When he ran off toward the beach, he slammed the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

lancel0tdulac sent you a message

lancel0tdulac sent you a message

peanutbuuutter sent you a message

lancel0tdulac sent you a message

 

* * *

 

When he was done swimming, Keith stood waist deep in water and tilted his head up, letting the sun dry his salty wet cheeks...even though rivers aren’t salty. He didn’t understand why he was so angry. He wasn’t even sure if he was angry. It wasn’t like being sad was any more explainable; he lived what should be a happy life.  _“I’ve never cared about friends before. Why should I now? Besides, I’m alone because I want to be. There’s no drama, no one to please, no one to worry about other than myself. I should have bigger problems. I chose this.”_ He felt another wave of tears coming but choked it back.  _“Did I choose this…?”_ He tried to remember the last time he’d been invited anywhere. He tried to remember the last time someone sat next to him on the bus or at school on purpose, not because it was the last seat left. He tried to remember the last time someone wanted to talk to him other than just to be polite. Nothing came to mind. Except…

 

_“‘Care to join us, mullet?’”_ The voice echoed in his head. Was Lance just being polite? Maybe. Although, he’d never felt the need to be polite to Keith before.  _“Maybe he was just looking for an excuse to call me mullet.”_ Suddenly, exhaustion washed over Keith. Swimming tired him out like nothing else. He finally waded towards the shore.

 

Keith untied his ponytail, furiously shaking his hair like a dog, and wrapped the rubber band around his wrist. He noticed the faint tan line he’d acquired over the summer from having it hang there all the time. He picked up his towel and his phone, protected by a sandwich bag, fell into the sand. Keith didn’t even pay it any attention until he was mostly dried off. It seemed like the chilly days of autumn were finally drawing near.

 

“What the fuck..?” said Keith aloud when he picked up his phone. Dozens of instagram notifications flooded his homescreen. He checked them from oldest to newest. From Lance:

 

\- hey

\- shirps your brother right

\- *shiro and also u know Katie and Matt

 

From Katie:

 

\- you know Lance right? new guy from our school? your grade? he’s asking me questions about u lmao

 

And finally...a groupchat?

 

lancel0tdulac: yo I added queef

peanutbuuutter: QUEEF HSKFHGSLSLFKH I CAN’T BELIEVE I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT

slamhunk: I didn’t even know he had instagram lol

lancel0tdulac: ikr he’s not a total hermit after all

lancel0tdulac: or a fuckin morman

slamhunk: I think you mean an amish person,,?

lancel0tdulac: whatever

 

_“Okay I know I was just crying over never having social interaction but this is too much.”_

 

He messaged Katie first.

 

\- So...uh...what exactly is that groupchat for?

\- Also what kind of questions is he asking?

 

She responded while the chat kept dinging in the background.

 

\- it’s not really for anything we’re just havin a gucci time friendo. and he asked if shiro was your brother and also if we were friends and also your birthday?? idk he’s kinda weird.

\- he’s cool tho

 

Keith sighed.

 

\- I guess so. He confuses the fuck out of me though

 

Katie never responded; she was busy having a meme war with Lance in the group chat. Keith kept up with the conversation as he walked home. It was pretty amusing. He didn’t say anything. He noticed Shiro and Matt were also in the chat, though neither had said anything since Keith was added. Bitterness flooded his mind. Lance was friends with Shiro, too? When would it end?

 

When he got home, he threw the plastic-covered phone on his bed and looked for clothes to change into. His drawers were empty, as were the closet and laundry bin. Keith eyed the pile of dirty clothes on the floor next to his desk, but he could practically smell them from where he was. Instead, he turned to the pile of clothes on the chair in front of his desk. He grabbed a pair of jeans relatively close to the top and sniffed it.  _“Could be worse I guess.”_ As he changed, he realized he also couldn’t remember the last time he’d done laundry. He decided that putting it off one more day wouldn’t hurt.

 

By the time he picked up his phone again, throwing the plastic baggie on the floor, there were 100+ new messages, Matt had shown up, and everyone made plans to go to the movies next Friday.  _“Well, fuck…”_

 

kogane_keith: I guess I’ll come if Shiro’s coming.

lancel0tdulac: omg he’s alive

peanutbuuutter: litty titty

slamhunk: dude I thought you died or something

peanutbuuutter: nah he’s just a fucking cryptid

peanutbuuutter: also if Matt’s coming Shiro’s probably coming

lancel0tdulac: yea boiiiiiiiiiiiiii

 

Keith sighed. Again. What could possibly go wrong?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> another little Tarantino-esque moment from the past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long ass wait for this update, I've been having a rough week (don't you just love those depression feels!!!) ANYWAY we're getting to the last few chapters of this story! I wanna thank everyone who's left comments and kudos thus far and who will in the future. I've had a blast writing this and an even better time sharing it with you guys! 
> 
> xo yoobie

It's been a week since school started.

 

As soon as the bell rings for lunch, Keith zips out of the bathroom he'd been hiding in and runs down the hall to the last classroom on the right. He snakes through the crowd of seniors still exiting Mrs. Mill's room and sits on top of a desk near the back. He eagerly watches his favourite teacher gather papers and textbooks and shove them unceremoniously to the opposite side of her massive desk. The red-headed late-twenty-something grins when she finally looks up and sees Keith.

 

"Well, hello there, young man!" she beams, walking toward him. "I didn't see you come in! You must've - " She stops in her tracks as realization hits her. "You weren't skipping class, were you?"

 

Keith feels his cheeks redden. He hates disappointing Mrs. Mill. Unfortunately, it seems to be happening more and more often as his high school career goes on. "Um...well, I-I uh...I just..." Mrs. Mill places her hands on her hips. Her already prominent curves are accentuated by swirls of green and blue that really pop against the white fabric of her dress. She taps her fingernails, painted in a matching green (that also matches her relatively short heels) and gives Keith a stern look.  _"Damn, this woman knows how to dress,"_ he thinks to himself.

 

"We don't want a repeat of last year's geography class, now, do we?" she warned.

 

Ugh. Will he ever not be reminded of the worst he'd ever failed a class? Keith nodded solemnly before a cheeky grin crept onto his face. "I like your dress?" Mrs. Mill chuckles and ruffles Keith's hair. The young humanities teacher had counselled him through his roughest patch last year, including failing geography with a record low of 5%. What Keith loved the most about her was that she didn't get mad; she handled everything as calmly and logically as possible. She also gave students cookies, like, all the time, which was a plus. "So, do you have a sign up sheet or something?" asks Keith, more than ready to change the subject.

 

"I do!" Mrs. Mill exclaims, eyes brightening like a child's. She runs back to her desk, dark curls bouncing with each step, and picks up a clipboard to show Keith. In brightly coloured bubble letters written in sparkly gel pen reads "GSA SIGN UP!" with columns for names, pronouns, homerooms, and emails. "LOOK HOW ORGANIZED I AM!" she squeals.

 

Keith grins. "We'll see how long that lasts."

 

Before she can retort, a freshman skulks shyly into the room. She's wearing a denim skirt paired with worn-out running shoes and a ponytail. "H-Hi, Keith..."

 

Keith grins even wider, hopping off the desk. "K- uh...Pidge!" he greets, side eyeing Mrs. Mill.

 

"It's okay," she smiles sheepishly. "You can call me Katie. I'm...gonna come out to everyone today."

 

Keith's heart swells. As far as he knows, the only people who know that Katie is a trans girl are Katie, him, Matt, and her parents. She'd been going by Pidge instead of her birth name for awhile now, but chose Katie a few months prior. She'd come out to him after he'd come out to her as gay, but it wasn't that big of a deal for Keith. This, however, would be a life changing moment for Katie. "I'm so proud of you..." he chokes out, pulling her into a hug as the rest of the club trickles in for the first GSA meeting of the year. Keith takes his usual place at the back, Katie beside him, and Mrs. Mill starts the meeting.

 

"Hi, everyone!" she chirps. "I'm Mrs. Mill and my pronouns are she/her. Welcome to the first meeting of our Gay/Straight Alliance-" Keith coughs loudly, grabbing her attention and seemingly reminding her of something. "Oh, right! Sorry, our Genders and Sexualities Alliance. That's what we're going to call it from now on to make it a little more inclusive. Anyway, I see a lot of familiar faces as well as some new faces, which is...that's good. I'm very glad. About that. So yeah...um..." Keith raises his hand, and Mrs. Mill looks relieved. "Yes! Keith!" She turns to the group. "Keith was a very prominent member last year and helps me out a lot, so I guess...he's kind of like the student leader. Sort of. Anyway, do you want to tell everyone new what this is about, Keith?"

 

He smiles. "I'd be happy to, Mrs. Mill. Hi everyone, I'm Keith Kogane and my pronouns are he/him. First thing to get out of the way is the rules, of which we basically have one: Be respectful and just generally nice. Hate of any kind will not be tolerated here, and we'll boot you out the second we hear about it. That means homophobia and transphobia, obviously, are not allowed, but also things like racism and classism and ableism...things like that. And also, just, like, rumours and gossip and stuff, just get that garbage out of here. We'll kick you out and I will not hesitate to beat your ass after school." That earns a murmur of laughter and a head shake from Mrs. Mill. He addresses the group with ease, something he has a hard time doing anywhere but here. "Second, we always try to introduce ourselves with our names and pronouns. This is a safe place for everyone, so we'll always call you exactly what you tell us to. And, also, if you feel safe being out here but not to the rest of the school, that's fine and we'll respect that, just tell us what we should call you around whom. We want you all to feel safe." He can't help but glance at Katie, who looks a little sheepish, but is smiling. "So I guess we can start with introductions and then get to the beautiful sign up sheet that Mrs. Mill has prepared for us." He gestures grandly toward her and her clipboard. "Oh, and one more thing," he adds, "there's a LOT of LGBTQ+ people at this school and not all of them are here. And if you don't want to be here, we don't take it personally. We're just the cooler gays," he grins, earning another unanimous chuckle. "So, yeah. Introductions. Like I said, I'm Keith, my pronouns are he/him." He gestures to the student directly in front of him and the game gets rolling.

 

As he listens intently to everyone introduce themselves, he wonders why it's so easy for him to talk to people here and so difficult to do the same anywhere but here. " _I_ _guess this is the one part of my identity I'm confident about. And the one group of people who I know won't judge me too harshly."_

 

Finally, it's Katie's turn. "H-Hi, everyone. My name is..." she bites her lip and looks to Keith for support. He pats her shoulder and smiles. He's honestly getting a little choked up, having watched her journey thus far. She takes a deep breath. "Um...some of you know me as Pidge. I've been going by that for...a year, I guess? But now-"

 

Suddenly, the door is kicked open with a loud crash. "HELLOOOOO, HOMOS!" yells none other than Lance Mc-fucking-Clain, strutting into the room with huge Prada sunglasses, a ridiculous pink feather boa around his shoulders, and a humongous drink from Starbucks. Keith's hands tighten into fists. "Sorry I'm late, but daddy needed his rocket fuel."

 

Katie turns bright red but is laughing quietly along with everyone else. Keith is seeing red. Who does this guy think he is?

 

"Uh, excuse you, asshole!" he barks. "Show up late if you want, but don't disrupt us in the middle of our goddamn meeting!"

 

Lance looks him up and down. "Oh, not you!" he sneers. "Who invited Mr. Stick-up-his-ass Kogane?"

 

"Gentlemen!" shouts Mrs. Mill. "Language!" She pinches the bridge of her nose. "While he could have put it more... _eloquently,_ Keith has a point. Please have a seat, Lance."

 

 _"Damn right I have a point,"_ seethes Keith, though the anger is slowly fading into embarrassment. As Lance takes his seat and winks at Ms. Mill, _e_ _veryone_ is staring at him. He clears his throat and turns to Katie. "Go ahead," he mutters.

 

She folds her arms. "My new name is Katie and my pronouns are she/her," she mutters deflatedly, having sunk into her chair.

 

Keith sighs and briskly rubs her back. While stealing the moment seems to be something that defines Lance, he'll never forgive him for this one.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, it's been awhile...about a year I think. To explain myself: I thought I posted the end of this fic before school started last year, and by the time I remembered I hadn't I was busy with school and stuff. But it's summer again and I decided it's finally time to finish this up! Again, I want to thank everyone who's read, commented, left kudos, and especially thank anyone who decides to read to the end! I'm super proud of this fic and I'm excited to share the ending with you all!
> 
> xo yoobie

"Oh, come the fuck on..."

 

"I'm really sorry, buddy, I just don't have the time."

 

"Yeah, yeah. I heard it already."

 

Slam.

 

Keith didn't even spare a breath before hopping on his motorcycle and speeding off toward the theater. As per usual, the Instagram group chat was blowing up, but he just ignored the incessant buzzing in his pocket (something that had become normal within the last five days). He white knuckled the handle bars and bit the inside of his cheek, the roar of the engine doing nothing to drown out his thoughts.

 

_"What am I doing? I said if Shiro wasn't going then I wouldn't go. Does everyone else know Shiro isn't going? Who even cares? At least Katie and Matt will be there. I'm kinda comfortable around them...but I have no idea how to act around Hunk. And Lance...fucking Lance. Who knows what to do around Lance. Actually, I know, I'll do nothing cuz I'm fucking turning around right now. Ugh, but that'll seem weird. Plus that means facing Shiro again at home..."_

 

The scene played out in Keith's head again. Shiro telling him about the extra shift he'd taken, Keith being a dumbass and asking why it mattered, Shiro saying he had a ton of homework, Keith being a jackass and asking who cared and to get to the point, Shiro saying there was just no way he'd make the movie, Keith being a jackass and yelling at Shiro. Keith sighed as his brother's voice echoed in his mind.

 

"Cut me some slack, dude, I just forgot. I'm not perfect."

 

Keith's reasonable side told him that, no, Shiro is not perfect. Keith's...unreasonable side was mad as hell.  _"Of all the times for Shiro to fuck up, it fucking HAD to be this time. Mr. Perfect Fucking Takashi Shirogane, Mr. I Have Scholarships To Everywhere, Mr. I Know What I'm Doing With My Life, Mr. Everyone Fucking Loves Me."_  He knew he was probably just anxious as hell about being in any social setting willingly without Shiro, the one person he knew had his back.

 

Well, there was no turning back now, because Keith had made it to the movie theater. Despite being a Friday evening, it was relatively quiet. Keith bought a soda and looked around for his...friends. _ "Are they even my friends? Whatever, this isn't the time."_  He thought it was weird that they weren't there already considering it was already later than the agreed upon time.

 

After about five minutes of leaning against the wall doing nothing, he checked his phone. Scrolling through the group chat, Keith furrowed his brows and felt his stomach drop.

 

peanutbuuutter: y'all

peanutbuuutter: matt can't come tonight and he's kinda my ride sooooo

slamhunk: dude I can't come either

peanutbuuutter: how come

slamhunk: stomach ache

peanutbuuutter: oh

peanutbuuutter: well I can come if shiro and queef can pick me up otherwise it looks like it's just them and lance

peanutbuuutter: ...shiro?

peanutbuuutter: ...........keith?

peanutbuuutter: lance you're literally always on your phone fucking answer

peanutbuuutter: fuhk nvm my mom wants me to stay home anyways

slamhunk: aw man :(

peanutbuuutter: ffs mom

peanutbuuuttter: *disney channel girl voice* mOm I'm fOuRtEeN i'M pRaCtIcALLy aN aDuLt!!!1!

slamhunk: omg

 

Keith ran a hand through his hair, panicking as the situation dawned on him. Shiro, Matt, Katie, and Hunk all weren't coming. _"Lance isn't here yet. If I leave now it'll be fine. I'll just leave. It's not too late -"_

 

From across the theater lobby, Keith heard his name being called. There, grinning as wide as ever, was Lance. Fucking. McClain.

 

Lance had been marginally nicer to Keith since their conversation on Sunday leading to his addition to the groupchat. He was treated in mostly the same way as any of Lance's other classmates; hell, they'd even had lunch together twice, accompanied by Katie and Hunk. Despite all this, whatever Lance's feelings true feelings were remained a mystery to Keith. While the insults and sarcasm were fewer and farther between, they'd far from ceased, and Keith hadn't fully forgiven him for stealing Katie's moment at that first GSA meeting. Katie herself had long since forgotten about it, though, and Lance wasn't even  _aware_ that it had happened, so Keith decided to try not to be bitter about it. On the contrary, Keith was beginning to like Lance. Like,  _like_ like him. A lot, actually. Still, there was something about him that occasionally caused a burning anger in Keith that he couldn't quite place.

 

It was bubbling up right now.

 

"Damn!' said Lance, glancing over a new pair of sunglasses to look around the lobby. "Here I was thinking I'd be fashionably late, and no one's shown up yet! Not even your brother!"

 

Keith sighed and scratched the back of his head, telling himself to take a deep breath. "Uh...yeah...have you looked at the groupchat at all?"

 

Lance shook his head. "Phone's dead. Actually, I need to charge it, let's find a table or something-"

 

"No, um..." God, this was a disaster. He guessed he'd just have to get it over with. "No one's coming. Something came up for everyone else. I didn't know until I got here, but um...yeah."

 

Lance stared at him blankly for a few seconds before responding. "Okay...that doesn't change the fact that I have to charge my phone." With that, he turned on his heel and walked towards the small seating area next to the concession stand.

 

_"...what the fuck."_ Keith thought to himself.  _"Does he...not care? He's not going home? We're just gonna fucking...go see a movie?"_ Stumbling after Lance,  he tried to do the math in his head. Math was...never one of Keith's strong suits.

 

Not having noticed that Keith had lagged behind a little, Lance rambled as though he were still listening. "...I don't know if I should get soda, though, it's a lot of sugar and I'm just gonna have to pee halfway though the movie." Keith gingerly sat across from him as he plugged his phone into the wall. "I guess since it's just us we could pick a different movie if you want. I really want to see  _It,_ and I know the guy working so he'll let us in even though it's rated R."

 

"Sure," Keith shrugged, chewing on his straw and looking anywhere but at Lance. He pretended not to notice that he was being eyed suspiciously as the other boy's phone powered up. When it did turn on, they ignored each other for almost a full ten minutes before Lance broke the silence again.

 

"Are you okay?"

 

The question rang in Keith's ears. Of course, the answer was no, he just wasn't expecting to be asked. Especially so...genuinely. After too long a pause, he abruptly stood up. "I'm fine. We should go now if we're gonna see  _It._ It starts in ten minutes." With that, he strode off to the concession stand, leaving Lance slightly stunned.


End file.
